t.switchToIframe Method

Switches to an <iframe>. Can be chained with other TestController methods.

t.switchToIframe(selector) → this | Promise<any>

Switches the test's browsing context to the specified <iframe>.

import { ClientFunction } from 'testcafe';

fixture `My fixture`
    .page `http://example.com`;

test('switching to an iframe', async t => {
    const getLocation = ClientFunction(() => window.location.href);

    // NOTE: the ClientFunction will be executed in TOP window's context
    console.log(await getLocation());

    await t
        .click('#button-in-main-window')
        .switchToIframe('#iframe-1')
        .click('#button-in-iframe-1');

    // NOTE: the ClientFunction will be executed in IFRAME window's context
    console.log(await getLocation());
});

You can switch to the main window from the <iframe> with the t.switchToMainWindow method.

Wait Until an <iframe> Is Loaded #

TestCafe implements wait mechanisms that automatically suspend the test until all required page elements are loaded and ready for interaction. These mechanisms apply to page loads, animations, XHR requests, iframe initializations, etc. TestCafe waits until the target element is ready, or reports an error if this does not happen within a timeout.

This example shows how to allow more time for an iframe to load if the default timeout is not enough.

fixture `Wait for an iframe to load`
    .page `https://js.devexpress.com/Demos/WidgetsGallery/Demo/DataGrid/Overview/jQuery/Light/`;

test('Wait for an iframe to load', async t => {
    const iframeSelector = Selector('#demoFrame', { timeout: 60000 });

    await t.switchToIframe(iframeSelector);
});

In this example, the timeout in the Selector constructor options is set to 60 seconds so that the iframe has one minute to initialize.

Select Target Elements #

For actions that target DOM elements, use the selector parameter to identify the desired element.

You can pass any of the following objects as a selector.

• A CSS selector string.

  test('My Test', async t => {
  
      // Click will be performed on the first element
      // that matches the CSS selector.
      await t.click('#submit-button');
  });
  

• A selector.

  import { Selector } from 'testcafe';
  
  fixture `My fixture`
      .page `http://www.example.com/`;
  
  const lastItem = Selector('.toc-item:last-child');
  
  test('My Test', async t => {
  
      // Click will be performed on the element selected by
      // the 'getLastItem' selector.
      await t.click(lastItem);
  });
  

• A client-side function that returns a DOM element.

  test('My Test', async t => {
  
      // Click will be performed on the element returned by the function,
      // which is the third child of the document's body.
      await t.click(() => document.body.children[2]);
  });
  

• A DOM node snapshot.

  import { Selector } from 'testcafe';
  
  fixture `My fixture`
      .page `http://www.example.com/`;
  
  test('My Test', async t => {
      const topMenuSnapshot = await Selector('#top-menu');
  
      // Click will be performed on the element whose snapshot
      // is specified. This is an element with the '#top-menu' ID.
      await t.click(topMenuSnapshot);
  });
  

• A Promise returned by a selector.

  import { Selector } from 'testcafe';
  
  const submitButton = Selector('#submit-button');
  
  fixture `My fixture`
      .page `http://www.example.com/`;
  
  test('My Test', async t => {
  
      // Click will be performed on the element specified by the selector
      // as soon as the promise is resolved.
      await t.click(submitButton());
  });
  

Before executing an action, TestCafe waits for the target element to appear in the DOM and become visible. If this does not happen within the selector timeout, the test fails.

Note that TestCafe cannot interact with page elements under other elements. If the target element is not on top when an action is triggered, TestCafe waits for this element to appear in the foreground. If this does not happen within the selector timeout, the action is performed with an overlaying element. For information on why the target element can be overlaid, see the stacking description in the z-index topic.

Upload action is the only method that does not require the target input to be visible. You can also perform the upload action when the input is overlaid.